


don't wanna dance (if I'm not dancing with you)

by komhmagnus



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Magnus Bane Deserves Nice Things, Protective Alec Lightwood, Slow Dancing, Supportive Alec Lightwood, based on the 3b trailer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-10-20 06:12:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17617016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/komhmagnus/pseuds/komhmagnus
Summary: “You don’t have to thank me,” Alec whispers back. “I wanted a moment alone with you. It was quite selfish, really.” // or, the self-indulgent "everyone was going angsty and I needed some fluff" fic





	don't wanna dance (if I'm not dancing with you)

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from Holy Ground by Taylor Swift!  
> Angie's tweet definitely helped inspire this, and I don't remember what her ao3 name is because I suck and also I'm sick but I think it's banebicon?

Alec feels as though he hasn’t seen Magnus in days, which is far from the truth. He went to sleep next to him every night and woke up in his bed--though Magnus had already disappeared by the time Alec awoke far too many times this week.

He’s frustrated, but not at Magnus. He knows what Magnus is doing, knows it all too well from having a tendency to do it himself. Magnus is distracting himself, keeping himself busy so he doesn’t have a moment to dwell on the greatest loss he’s ever experienced--in an already long list of losses throughout his many centuries, Alec knows. Alec hates it, hates that Magnus had to give up a piece of himself, hates that he ever gave Magnus the impression that his own life was worth less than his parabatai’s. Alec knows it’s not, knows he could survive losing Jace a thousand times if it meant he never had to see even an ounce of pain in Magnus Bane’s eyes.

He hears the front door click open. Alec stands from the couch, an idea already forming in his mind. Magnus rushes by, offering him a quick smile and even quicker peck on the lips. It’s reminiscent of the one from the other morning, the one that left him pouting in bed from the lack of his boyfriend’s warmth.

Alec grabs his arm before he can leave the room, pulling him into a twirl. Magnus goes easily with the movement, the surprise clearly written across his face.

“Alexander? What are you doing?” Magnus asks as Alec leads him into a dip. Alec feels a sudden urge to kiss the surprise off of his face, but that can wait, he decides.

“Dancing,” he answers, chuckling softly at the look of confusion on Magnus’s face. “You’ve been rushing around all day,” he explains. “Week, even, and I just...I miss you.” The confusion in Magnus’s eyes soften a bit at the confession. “I miss you and I want to spend time with you, even just one moment, just the two of us. I know that you’re hurting, and I know that you need to distract yourself from that, and I’m not asking you to stop doing that. I’m just asking you to slow down, even for just a minute. And when you are ready, when you want to face it all, I will be right here.” He reaches up to cup Magnus’s cheek, brushing his thumb gently along his cheekbone. “I’m not much of a dancer, but I know you love it. I’ve seen the way you light up, so...dance with me?” he asks in a whisper.

Magnus blinks up at him before his mouth molds into the smallest of smiles. Alec considers it a victory. “I would love to, Alexander.”

They twirl around the living room for longer than a minute. Alec doesn’t keep track, but he thinks it’s closer to an hour, just the two of them swaying around. They didn’t even bother to turn on music, too lost in the circles they were spinning around each other and the beats of each other’s hearts and sound of giggles whenever Alec somehow managed to trip over his own feet.

“Thank you,” Magnus whispers later, when they’ve tripped for the last time and collapsed into a heap on the couch. His head is tucked into the crook of Alec’s neck and Alec wishes they could stay there forever. Wishes they could stay in this bubble of dancing and laughing and tangled heartbeats. Wishes they didn’t have to return to the war outside the loft’s door. But he knows that’s selfish, and he tightens his arms around Magnus. They can’t escape forever, but they can escape right now, in this moment. They just have to take it slow.

“You don’t have to thank me,” Alec whispers back. “I wanted a moment alone with you. It was quite selfish, really.”

Magnus laughs easily against his chest, and Alec wants to bottle the sound up, to keep it forever. When all this is over, he thinks, when the fighting and fear is all gone, he wants this forever:  Magnus in his arms, safe and laughing and unafraid.  _ Forever _ .

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are appreciated 💖  
> Find me on tumblr and twitter @banesapothecary!


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